Your gut is more than just a food-processing machine—it's the foundation of your overall health.

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Listen to the podcast episode:

#733: Digestion Starter Kit: 7 Tips to Fix Your Gut and Feel Amazing

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When your digestion is working smoothly, your body efficiently absorbs nutrients, keeps your energy levels high, supports glowing skin, and helps maintain a healthy weight.

But when your gut is out of balance, it can lead to low energy, stubborn weight gain, skin problems, and even mental fog.

Understanding how your gut works and why it matters is the first step to feeling your best every day.

I know it can be daunting when you are symptomatic to feel like you’ll never get better, or be overwhelmed with all of the information on the interwebs/social media.

So lets talk about the FOUNDATIONS that need to be in place and where you can begin!

This is not medical advice, this is for educational purposes only as I hope you will begin to make changes to support your body until you can work with a practitioner to get to the root cause and guide you through bio individual healing protocols.

<aside> 💡 Proper Hydration + Electrolyte Balance

This is so simple, yet so many people suffer from a variety of symptoms because they are not properly hydrated.

  1. Start your day with lemon water + pinch of salt to stimulate digestion and support your liver
  2. Drink ½ your bodyweight in ounces per day
  3. Add electrolytes to most drinks
  4. If you sweat a lot, go up to ⅔ your bodyweight in ounces per day
  5. Be consistent DAILY! </aside>

<aside> 💡 Eating Hygiene - simple, not easy!

  1. Digestion is a REST + DIGEST Parasympathetic state …that means if you’re eating while on the go or rushing, eating distracted, not chewing your food well… you’re putting a lot of stress on your digestive tract!
  2. Mindful Eating: Sit down, slow down, look at your food, be grateful, and CHEW YO FOOD! Your food should be the consistency of a smoothie when you swallow, not large chunks of food. Swallowing large chunks of food that is not chewed well puts a lot more stress on your chemical digestion, which requires stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes and ox bile - yet all of those are downregulated and not secreted as efficiently when you’re in a stressed state!
  3. Go for a 10-15 min walk after meals -Walking stimulates the muscles in your digestive tract, helping food move more efficiently through your system. This can reduce bloating, gas, and feelings of heaviness after eating. If you struggle with heartburn, this gentle movement after eating can prevent acid from creeping back up into the esophagus, reducing the risk of heartburn and acid reflux. Plus, it can also support blood sugar levels. </aside>

<aside> 💡 Pooping Hygiene

I know, you’re rolling your eyes or laughing, BUT again when we think about how stress impacts your digestion this can help a lot!

If you’re the person, waking up to an alarm and racing out of the house, you’re not giving your body the time to send you signals.

Here’s a few tactical tips to focus on:

  1. Colon cleansing time is 5-7 am so it is ideal to wake up, do an abdominal massage before you get out of bed. Video HERE
  2. Have your warm lemon water with a pinch of salt and relax for a bit!
  3. Sit on the toilet with your knees above your hips with the use of a squatty potty or upside down trash can, and put your elbow on your knees. Elevating your feet puts your body in a more natural squat position, which helps straighten the rectum and reduce strain during bowel movements. This can lead to faster, more complete elimination. </aside>

<aside> 💡 Manage stress!

Do you notice a theme here?

Your gut is your second brain and heavily influenced by stress and emotions (all organs are).

You have to find what works for you but here’s a few tactical tips to start:

  1. Get outside in nature - get sunshine on your eyeballs and walk!
  2. Do some deep breathing right before meals, and anytime you’re entering or coming out of a stressful situation - let's say an important meeting that you knew was going to be a bit stressful - take 3-5 slow deep breaths before and after to signal your nervous system that you’re okay! It again is simple and very very effective, but not easy. So set some alarms to remind you!
  3. Say no to things that are going to take away from your priorities and start to be a bit more strict with boundaries - if you don't have any boundaries, start by setting a few. </aside>

<aside> 💡 Support your body with good nutrition + a diverse diet!

Since you’re reading this, I suspect you’re like many of my clients before they start - struggling with a variety of digestive issues…

I am going to provide some tips here but please know this is very very bioindividual and nuanced, which is why I work with clients 1-1.

Your digestive system may not tolerate a lot of fiber or fermented foods at the moment.

But, please know that food sensitivities are not normal!

You should be able to tolerate these things if your gut is in a good place.

  1. Add 1 cup bone broth to your diet daily, you can drink it like tea or enjoy in soup. This is contraindicated for those with histamine issues.
  2. Add 1 new food in each category - fruit, veggie, fat, seeds/nuts, protein and complex carbs to support diversity. I.e. rotate the oils you eat, try a new stir fry blend, use white sweet potato rather than regular, use ghee rather than butter, etc. ROTATE!
  3. If you have trouble with fiber and veggies - try blending into a smoothie, cooking or steaming them well rather than eat them raw. </aside>

<aside> 💡 Supplements that could be helpful to start with or try:

  1. Ginger, Peppermint, Fennel: Gentle herbs for soothing the digestive tract. Can use these in the form of tea
  2. Immunoglobulins: Support a healthy gut barrier, which helps with nutrient absorption, reduces bloating and gas as well as boost your immune system! My favorite is Bloat Eaze Pro - use code FITMOM
  3. Digestive Enzymes: If you’re bloated 2-3 hours after meals, this is an indication you need digestive enzymes. I recommend Klaire Labs Digestive Enzymes. Vegan option, Plant Enzymes. If you do not have a gallbladder, I recommend DigestionGB as it has OxBile and Taurine which supports the liver/galbladder. All are here: https://us.fullscript.com/plans/fitmom-digestive-enzymes
  4. Magnesium: For regular bowel movements and calming the nervous system. I recommend starting with Prosorb+ for digestion support specifically, use code FITOM. Otherwise if you want a well rounded supplement, I like Bioptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough with all types of magnesium - use code FITOM. </aside>